Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Hi all,

Just wanted to share that me and DH went to a baby care class give by a nurse at our hospital last night and learned a lot of new things. Just thought I would share...

1. Only get pacifiers for babies that are one piece. That means that the entire thing is rubber. The nurses said the more common two piece ones are dangerous as the rubber tip can seperate from the plastic frame and cause asphixiation. That is what they use at nurserys. She said 6-9 months is a good time to ween them off the pacifier. She said nurses are big fans of pacifiers because a baby has a natural instinct to **** and if you feed a baby an entire bottle adn they want to continue to **** then you should give them a pacifier. They are not necessarily hungry anymore, just want to ****.

2. Never use talcom powder or baby powder in a baby's diaper. This causes yeast. After you clean the area of your baby, you should wipe it all down in vaseoline and put the diaper on.

3. When giving your baby a sponge bath (prior to the cord falling off) do not just use baby wipes. This only cleans surface skin. Use soap and water. She advised to get a glass of clean water (lukewarm) and a glass of soap and water. You should start at the head and go down. Avoid the cord area.

4. Do not use nail clippers ever as they have seem many times a mother clipping a childs finger and making it bleed. They advise use emery boards and file your babies nails down. Also she stated that nurses in a hosptial are not allowed to touch a babies nails so you should bring an emery board to the hosptial with you to do it (especially if you have a c-section).

5. Do not use q-tips in a babies ears. This either pushes the wax back in or you can damage the eardrum. Rather they advise to take a wipe with your finger and clean each ear out daily.

6. Babies love to feel confined the first few days of life - hence they swaddle babies. They also advise that if you baby does not calm down just from swaddling they put the baby on the left side of their chest so they can hear your hearbeat and the babies head under your chin. This usually calms them down.

7. Babies love to have their heads rubbed in the beginning. The nurses use this trick all the time as do pediatricians. It calms a baby down and allows them to do other things to the baby.

8. To wake a baby up you should touch the bottom of their feet. They hate to have their feet touched. IF that does not work then you should unclothe them to get them exposed.

9. If a babys temperture is greater then 100 degrees you should call your doctor right away. They only advise using rectal thermometers. Do not use the pacifier thermometers or the ear ones. They don't get accurate readings. To take your babies temp rectally they advise to do the same as you were to change a diaper, holding there feet up in the air.

10. She also did a whole think on SIDS. She said while it's best to put the baby down on his back, your baby needs tummy time and they advise to do that when you baby is up during the day. Put a blanket down and put your baby on his belly. The baby will turn their head to breath and this allows them to develop reflexes they need.

11. If you baby sneezes that is good and it means the baby is getting mucus out of it's nose. A baby only thinks he can breath through his nose so if it's clogged up and they don't sneeze they will start crying (not realizing that the crying allows them to breath through their mouth). You would use an aspirator to go in and **** the snot out. This will calm the baby down.

12. Wake a newborn every 4 hours for bottle feeding (or every 3 hours for breastfeeding) during the day. However, at night allow you baby to sleep up till 6 hours before waking them up to feed them (i.e. 12-6). Burp a baby everytime after feeding them.

13. Change your bottles nipples (if you are bottle feeding) every 4-6 months as they start to disintergrate and might fall off in babies mouth.

That was the main things...if i think of anything else i will let you know.

Message edited 6/22/2006 10:05:42 AM.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

GREAT INFO! I learned the same things at the infant care class I took before my DD was born.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

These are wonderful tips, thank you so much for sharing!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

thanks

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Excellent tips!! Thanks for sharing!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

That is great advice but as a BTDT mom 2x I just wanted to throw out there that I never put any ointment on babies hiney unless it was needed for a rash, why fix something that isnt broken. AND that I couldnt imagine filing a newborns fingernails. They are so soft and flexible that it is hard to get them done easily. If you want to clip them its easy but get one with a magnifing glass or just bite them off.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

WOW what great info!! THanks so much!!!!!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Thanks for the great tips!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

As the mom of a boy, I will also add that even if he is circumcized, you should still push back the skin and use vaseline there to prevent adhesions.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Thanks!! I printed this... It is useful and informative!!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

those are great tips! thanks for taking the time to post for us.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

The emergy board is a great tip..I wish I had known that and brought one to the hospital.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Thanks for the info! Great tips!

Trish, my mom says the same exact thing because they can still get infected even if they are circumsized.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Posted by KPtoys

That is great advice but as a BTDT mom 2x I just wanted to throw out there that I never put any ointment on babies hiney unless it was needed for a rash, why fix something that isnt broken. AND that I couldnt imagine filing a newborns fingernails. They are so soft and flexible that it is hard to get them done easily. If you want to clip them its easy but get one with a magnifing glass or just bite them off.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Thanks so much for sharing these tips !!!
That's great !

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Posted by greeneyes361708

Posted by KPtoys

That is great advice but as a BTDT mom 2x I just wanted to throw out there that I never put any ointment on babies hiney unless it was needed for a rash, why fix something that isnt broken. AND that I couldnt imagine filing a newborns fingernails. They are so soft and flexible that it is hard to get them done easily. If you want to clip them its easy but get one with a magnifing glass or just bite them off.

LOL, I thought I was the only person who bites their kid's nails instead of clipping them!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Posted by greeneyes361708

Posted by KPtoys

That is great advice but as a BTDT mom 2x I just wanted to throw out there that I never put any ointment on babies hiney unless it was needed for a rash, why fix something that isnt broken. AND that I couldnt imagine filing a newborns fingernails. They are so soft and flexible that it is hard to get them done easily. If you want to clip them its easy but get one with a magnifing glass or just bite them off.

LOL, I thought I was the only person who bites their kid's nails instead of clipping them!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Bumping for Scared710.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

thanks for the info!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Thanks for sharing/bumping!

Message edited 2/23/2007 9:21:26 PM.

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

great info!!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Great info! Thanks!

Re: Important Things I Learned at Baby Care Class

Thank you - I saved this in my notebook!!!